Saturday, January 2, 2016 -Friday, January 8, 2016

Saturday routine, cleaned fans, cleaned floor, purchased water on our way to Arevalo to turn in the car report and get apartment check papers run off 9:30, 10:30 center--no Internet.  There was a brownout last night about six hours.  So we went back to Arevalo.  1:30 to apartment, eat, rest.  Walked Esplanade. 4:30.  Office missionaries delivered 12 boxes of Books of Mormon to our apartment.
Sunday we took two sisters and two elders with us to church at Mandurriao.  Fast Sunday.  Home, ate.  San Miguel group.  They now have a group leader, Brother Freddie from Mandurriao Ward.  He is a taxi driver, a return missionary and has experience in the church, great man.  He was sustained.  Also a new member from Europe came today.  He's Filipino but lives in Europe but will be here for six months.  He will be a great boost to the group and the missionaries.  Geraldine is moving to her husbands family's place in Molo so she will be going there to church.  I think it is all good.  We gave some group members rides back home.  Visited Cozzens.  Home and bed.
Monday routine.  Jalandoni. SM to get 2x2 pictures and ate at a new place in the new mall addition:  Zark's.  Hamburgers of all kinds.  But it was the first hamburger that we didn't pull out gristle when we ate it.  No need to go back though.  Brought in wash.  Made brownie cookies and chocolate pudding. Kyle Sorilla went with us to Garcia's house.  Gloria Garcia fell and broke her toe.  Her right ring toe.😃. She will see the orthopedic doctor on January 6.  She is the one who gave me the child hammocks.  Her husband is a lawyer and her daughter is a single adult, darling rm and she has another daughter who has been a friend also.  She is an ob/gym and her husband is a seaman and they have a little boy.  We sent pictures of his blast off first birthday.  Home.
Tuesday routine.  Arevalo.  Turned in apartment papers and pictures for our return home travel.  Then to Jalandoni.  Nina is back from Manila.  Happy to see her.  Her son is back with his girlfriend from Idaho.  Marriage is supposed to be June.  We shopped at Atrium (no chips), apartment, Back to Arevalo to discuss departure, then to Jalandoni for Self Reliance meeting. (Boiser came, President Cagape came, Bishop from Arevalo, Howard PEF stake specialist came and Julie plus the regulars, Butch, Sister Cagape, Darlene, and us.)  Home 10:00.
Wednesday zone training:  consider your area home-serve, love like Christ.  He served one and masses followed.  "Love is the very essence of the gospel".  Fruits of labor will come.  It reminded me of being a mother:  feed, change, clean, teach, serve your little ones, love constant, consistent, not distracted, full-time, then they grow up and we see the fruits.  Weave children, one at a time, we teach, we testify, we love, we serve, we give our all; we pray together, read scriptures together, we attend church together, we do activities together:  solid converts.  We separated sisters from elders.  The sisters watched a video called "LIFTING", Kathy's story.  Service changes us and heals us; it makes substance of our souls.  In the Philippines the saying is, "I will be the one" to carry, to open, to do...  Mosiah 2 was referred to.  Lunch at apartment.  Back to Jalandoni to train stake PEF specialist 1-3.  Taught Institute class 3-4:30:  "Developing our talents and abilities".  It was great.  We had four.  We just love these people.  Walked the Esplanade.  Full day.  Home 5:30.
Thursday.  Routine.  Some excitement among our zone leaders and the assistants!  SM to shop then to Jalandoni.  Lunch 2:00.  Back to Jalandoni to teach Institute, substituting Book of Mormon, Butch didn't feel well.  3 Nephi 12-17.  It was great.  6 students.  Home 8:00.
Friday routine.  Wash.  Arevalo for Central Zone interviews with the President (we visited with the missionaries).  Lunch.  2:00 Center.  We got our email tickets from the office for our flight from Iloilo to Manila (6:20 am). That means we will leave our apartment at 4:00 am probably by taxi.  We will be on the same flight as April, since she is coming to visit for our last week!  So excited to share a bit of our experience with her!  Love, Sister Robinson III, Mom, Grandma

Happy New Year!  I just barely started remembering that this is 2015,
so who knows how long it will take me to catch up with 2016.  I kind of froze myself in the year I left and was always getting confused. My last companion would always have to tell me it's 2015. Haha anyway this week has been pretty good!  We cleaned a moldy fridge for service this week.  That was pretty gross but our member was very pleased to discover that essentially he had a brand new fridge when we were finished with it!  Poor Sister Erickson has been sick, she's been a trooper.  

On New Year's Eve we had District Meeting at night so that we weren't out and about during festivities.  I was responsible for a whole two minutes of District Meeting and I did a whole lot of planning to prepare for those two minutes, but it still didn't go that well haha.  I had the scripture I was planning to use all pulled up but when it came to it I couldn't find it so I got all flustered.  Oh well!  I found it eventually!  After District Meeting we got to play games for about an hour before going home.  We played a couple rounds of mafia, and it was pretty fun (though not as fun as playing with you, family).  One of our Zone Leaders was the one narrating, and for the second round he make it all Star Wars themed.  Mafia=sith, Police=Jedi.  It was awesome.  He does a SICK Yoda voice.  Those who were killed were attacked by...well I don't remember the names, but those little round droids with guns, or trampled by those giant boxes with legs...ya I'm not up on my Star Wars lingo.  But anyway it was hilarious.  It's as close to the new Star Wars movie as any of us can get haha. One day when we were knocking on members doors the guy answered and we introduced ourselves and said we were trying to meet the members and share a spiritual thought with them.  He told us his whole family are members and there's nothing we could tell him that he doesn't already know.  It was super weird.  I think we could probably teach him something about how to recognize pride... 

We did some service at the zoo taking down the Christmas lights they had up.  It's a pretty small zoo and more like a rescue but it's actually pretty cool.  I saw the tiger moving around and I got super excited.  I said, "Sister Erickson! Look! A tiger! A tiger! Quick look at the tiger!" You'd think I'd never seen one before.  I don't think I ever have seen one that close before though, and moving.  I also got to pet a deer so that was cool.  

I don't remember if I've shared this before but in one of our wards we're not allowed to tract so basically our only option is referrals from members.  We spend most of our time talking with them and encouraging them to meet more people and share the gospel with them.  This past Sunday our zone fasted for them to have the strength to share the gospel with those around them.  It's sad because we can't even get members to keep their commitments. Hopefully soon they will start taking it seriously.  Family, here is your commitment.  If you don't know any people who aren't members, meet some.  Meet the parents of your kids friends.  Get involved in community service.  Do something to get out there and meet people that aren't members of the church already.  Pray for Heavenly Father to put them in your path.  Be their friend.  And then remind me I said this when I get home so I don't let myself off the hook when I have normal life things to balance too.  I still think these members are just the best though.  They're doing a lot of good things, and most of them are talking with lots of non members, they just aren't really thinking of how to help those they are talking with and friendshipping progress.

There was a testimony yesterday that really made me think. It was a High Councilor visiting our ward.  He reflected on returning from his mission to find his baby sister much older; he didn't recognize her until she was tugging on his suit coat, begging for attention.  She got married at a later age and struggled with infertility.  She eventually gave birth to triplets, two of which are severely handicapped.  She struggled with, but recovered from breast cancer.  Recently she was skiing with her family and suddenly collapsed.  She has brain tumors from her cancer metastasizing. She is terminal, and paralyzed from the tumors.  Now his baby sister is not going to last much longer, and his family is struggling to know how to care for her children.  His testimony was, "This is unfair.  She has done everything right, and nothing about this situation is fair to anyone.  Because of the gospel, I know that though this life is unfair, it is only one small part of a three act play.  Her life began before this life, and it will continue after.  Though this life may be unfair, it is in the third act that everything is made right."  I was inspired by his faith.  It reminded me of a quote by President Uchtdorf, "Being grateful IN our circumstances is an act of faith in God.  It requires that we trust God and hope for things we may not see but which are true. By being grateful, we follow the example of our beloved Savior, who said, 'Not my will, but thine, be done.' True gratitude is an expression of hope AND testimony. It comes from acknowledging that we do not always understand the trials of life but trusting that one day we will...When we are grateful to God IN our circumstances, we can experience gentle peace in the midst of tribulation. In grief, we can still lift up our hearts in praise. In pain, we can glory in Christ's Atonement. In the cold of bitter sorrow, we can experience the closeness and warmth of heaven's embrace."

I am so thankful for the peace of the gospel, and the eternal perspective it brings.  All wrongs will be made right through Christ's Atonement.  Love you all.

Sister Robinson

The other day we had dinner with some members that had picked up all
these crazy interesting soda's for their daughter's wedding reception.
This is one of them.  It tastes exactly like it sounds.

For p-day today we found this teriyaki place that also sells Filipino food and these yummy smoothies with popping boba in them. I'm a BIG fan. It's coconut with peach boba and it comes with a giant straw so you can suck up the boba. SO fun, I had a blast drinking it.

My Filipino food, chicken adobo and some kind of clear noodle stuff. They also have Halo Halo, which from what I remember from mom and dad's emails is not very yummy but I might have to try it just because I can. Transfers are coming so I won't write until Tuesday!

Happy New Year's!

Hello my dear friends and family!

What a year it has been. To think this time last year I was doing the same thing almost! :) haha. I was reflecting on the year and turned open to my journal from this same time last year. It was really interesting. It honestly feels like it wasn't too long ago. This next week will be my last week in the office, I probably won't know what my new area is gonna be yet until next Sunday, but they've already let me know that I'll be leaving. This week is gonna be pretty crazy, though. We found out who the new assistant is gonna be today, he'll come in on Monday, a week before the transfer is over, and there's gonna be a special conference so that all the people that are going home can share their final testimony with us; there is also a news conference which happens the last week of every transfer, it's basically return and report, where they come back to the mission home, share what they've learned together, and receive some more training. I'm just writing this because it's my 4th and last time, so I wanted to remember. :) haha. If you had asked me a year ago what I saw myself doing in a year, I would never have guessed this. But I am pretty much way pumped to get back to the field and work for the whole day again. It'll be kind of a break, honestly, and it will feel so amazing to dedicate the whole day to my new area. So, you can be looking forward to that news!

I was looking through old PowerPoint trainings and talks and videos that this mission has used previously, going as far back as 2010 maybe further, but that's as far as I looked. And it's interesting to see that even though the methods and the focuses change, the work has always been the same. And I also have seen a similar pattern amongst the missionaries as we see in the Book of Mormon. I suppose it's a cycle for everyone, personally, maybe as families too, I'm not sure. But it is the pride cycle.

What happens in the Book of Mormon is that they are humble seekers of truth and so the Lord blesses them with all kinds of temporal and spiritual things, they then begin to forget who gave them those things and begin to become puffed up, they lean unto their own understanding, they gradually stop doing the little things, and they are no longer worthy of His divine help and so, they fall. 

Amongst the missionaries the same thing happens. They go to the conference and classes prepared to learn, and with a thirst for knowledge and light. They follow the counsels of their leaders, and they feel successful, and they are successful. They begin to drop things here and there, they begin to feel pleased with the work they are doing and take the credit for themselves, and little by little they, too, lose the guidance of the Holy Spirit and fall, and wait for the next conference or class to be lifted back up again. 

Then we see people like Nephi and Lehi, the brothers in the book of Helaman who are highly blessed and favoured in the eyes of the Lord and unceasingly serve Him, give thanks to Him, and humble themselves before Him. I wanted to share this today because it is my New Year's resolution. And I invite you all to make it yours as well.

The Lord blesses us unceasingly, He watches over us, His hand is in every detail of our lives, and I believe that Nephi and Lehi knew the secret to falling into the pride cycle. To serve Him constantly. To recognize His work in every part of our lives, or even to recognize that every part of our lives is His work, and praise His name for it.

I hope you all had a happy New Year! I love you all a freaking ton and am looking forward to another wonderful year!

Con todo amore y cariño,

Elder Robinson

P.S. We found out who the new mission president is gonna be. He will come around the first of July. Here is a link that will take you to some pictures of him and his family.  https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B9nCKnBTL9xRalR2NU1WcUtFaWs&usp=sharing

New year

We had a fun week after Christmas and then on New Years Eve. I am sure that Mom will tell you all about it. We went on two different outings and picked up new missionaries at the airport and helped at the transfer meeting. Most of the twelve new missionaries are from other areas of the Philippines. It is fun to see their smiling faces and cheerful countenances.
Here is a great scriptural new year resolution .
Phil. 3:13-15
Brethren I count not myself to have apprehended:
But this one thing I do, forgetting those things that are behind, and reaching forth to those things which are before,
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded.
I am thankful to have all of you in my life.
Love, Dad

Dinner

Dinner

December 29 Mambukal Resort, Butches birthday, the Ruins

Campuestohan Highland Resort Monday, December 28, 2015 Negros Island

Friday December 25- Friday January 1, 2016

Friday finishing up from last week.  Ray bought two chickens at a street vendor which we have purchased before and fed two sets of sisters ... no two elders and sent leftovers to two other elders.  Went to the Center.  8:30 home.  Bed.
Saturday December 26 6:30 am went to the center for our missionary calls with Sister Robinson IV and Elder Robinson from Chile.  Though connections are never good in the Philippines, the "hangouts" are very satisfying.  9:30 we returned to the apartment to exercise, shower, 1/3 cup fruit and off to gas station to pick up Darlene, to go to Navas for lunch (pictures), picked up four missionaries on our way.  We had "boodle fight" meaning we ate with our hands off of banana leaves.  This is done with family and friends to create more unity.  It is a bonding tradition used for Grandma's birthday or gathering of friends.  You put your food on the leaves in front of you and eat one thing at a time with your fingers.  There is a technique to it.  2:38 after dropping three others off at different locations, we headed to Leganes 2 Ward Christmas party.  We love this Ward.  It is so inclusive and fun--Bishop Demetrio and his wife, President and Sister Jane Suya, President Timmy and Malou Tigulo.  Malou could be my best friend if I lived here.   We will miss these people.  They took a movie of us dancing.  7:50 home.
Sunday attended sacrament meeting in Mandurriao, then San Miguel group, then back to Mandurriao for choir practice, lunch at apartment, then to Arevalo
With four elders and four sisters, our entire district, for Iloilo Stake Christmas devotional.  At the end during President Insigne's remarks, he called us up to bear testimony because as a stake, we will not be meeting again before we leave.  It was a stomach ache.  I will miss these people and we do not want to begin our goodbyes 2 1/2 months out.  We really had stomach aches going back to our apartment.😓. I want to retain what we have learned and experienced and give to others the treatment we have been given here.  We love these people and hope to meet again and find that we are all still steadfast in the faith of Jesus Christ.
Monday 6:07 went to Molo church to pick up Butch and Michelle, then to Jalandoni to park truck, flag down a taxi to take us to the wharf, "Super Cat" to Bacolod.  It was quite rough waters.  Arrived in Bacolod 9:00.  Boiser picked us all up and we went to the mission office where Sister Cagape met us.  While there we met some young missionaries.  Then up to the mountain to Campuastokan Highland Resort.  We ate lunch there, took pictures, walked all around.  Then down to "Calea" for cake for Butch's birthday.  He treated us all for his 29th birthday.  So we all chose our favorite piece.  I had berry cheesecake--it was the smallest but the best.  Then to Bacolod Business Inn for our nights stay.  We took a rest until 4:30 and then onto the "Ruins".  The Americans and Filipinos burned it so it could not be used by the Japanese for a garrison during the war in 1942.  Then we went to "Chicken Deli" to eat.  8:30 back to hotel.
Tuesday 8:30 our driver picked us up (Boiser).  We went to Mambukal Resort:  meaning boiling.  It is at the foot of an active volcanoe and hot water comes out at different places making a warm springs sulphur spa.  There are many little hot pools around along the paths to soak your feet in.  At 1:40 we headed back to the City to go to the wharf but stopped first to eat at a little "House of Chicken".  Served with calamansi, vinegar, oil, and soy sauce.  Butch said he was going home "clucking" from so much chicken.  We waited at the wharf for the Fast Cat to Iloilo.  Many pictures will tell the story.  Our group was Erwin Boiser, our self reliance manager, Darlene Casas, North stake relief society president and self reliance stake specialist and volunteer, Butch Balsomo, volunteer, 2nd counselor in Molo 1st Ward, public affairs specialist, and Michele, his wife is a Ward facilitator for PEF.  Sister Cagape also joined us the first day.  Boat ride 3:40, arrived 5:30, taxi ride to Jalandoni, checked emails, foundation message from the mission office needing help in the morning.  Yeah!  Home.  7:00 started wash.  Ate popcorn.  Preparations for tomorrow.
Wednesday back to routine.  Load of wash.  We left for the airport to pick up new missionaries.  8:30 arrived 9:30:  9 darling sisters came in, 1 from Hawaii, the rest Filipino; 3 elders:  1 American, 1 Filipino, 1 Malaysian.  On to the mission home.  Then to the Center for an hour, stopped at SM to shop but it was crazzzy!  So we didn't shop.  We got a gelato and went to the apartment, ate lunch, back to Jalandoni, got the truck washed, shopped at Robinson's for 3 items.  Then our beautiful walk on the Esplanade.  Apartment.  Snack.  Brought in clothes.  Made artichoke dip, fried French bread thin slices in olive oil, made cranberry jello...all for our New Years' Eve adventure with the Cushings.  Bed 9:00.
Thursday 6:15 took 2 sisters, 2 elders to Arevalo with luggage early for their mission training; returned to the apartment for routine; 9:15 2 more sisters and 2 more elders with luggage to Arevalo for transfers.  10:00 meeting.  After meeting, we took 2 elders with luggage to San Miguel, 2 elders with luggage to Mandurriao and four sister's luggage and the Cushings couple.  The elders unloaded the luggage to go to the sisters apartment by us.  We were really jammed in.  After leaving the luggage and missionaries, the Cushings and us went to McDonald's on our way to New Years' Eve celebration at the Ephrathah organic farm and resort.  The owners' son gave us a personal tour, we went swimming, ate dinner, played games, and at 11:45 our personal fireworks began by the resort family just on the other side of the pool.  Ray was a little concerned as they were very close but it was delightful.  Bed.  In the morning, we started the new year with exercising, swimming, two long zip line rides over the farm which is 7 hectares, then showered, dressed and headed back to Iloilo.  What a way to start the year.  The four of us ate at the new Iloilo Cafe in the Mall.  I had salad that was delicious, only about my tenth salad in sixteen months.  We separated from Cushings and shopped at the SM store, 2:15 to the apartment, 5:00 to the Esplanade for my favorite walk, to the apartment, snack, relax, ...What a beginning!  I love you satanan (you all), Sister Robinson III, Grandma, Mom